Ox-bow key



Patented Apr. 3,1888..

w, ma W z J WI (No Model.)

W. WARE. OX BOW KEY.

UNrrED STATi-:s

PATENT rricnc VALTER VARE, OF CHANDLER, MINNESOTA.

OX-BOW KEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380.468, dated April 3,1 888.

Application filed January 1B, 1888. Serial No. 261,285. (No model.)

To a-ZZ whom it may car/Learn.-

Be it known that I, VALTER VARE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chandler, in the county of Murray and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in OX-Bow Keys; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invcntion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which'it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to oX-bow keys or bolts, and has for its obj cetthe construction of a bolt which will automatically lock itself inposition against accidental displacement.

While the iuvention is chiefly designed for ox-bo-ws, it is equaily welladapted for any purpose where it is required to use a self-looking keyor bolt.

The device is simple and compact and can be cheaply manufactured, as itis composed of three parts only, one being a spring, the other alock-bar, and the third the bolt proper,which can be cast, the back barbeing seated in a groove in the bolt-stock and journaled in a cross-barand brackets at the ends of the boltstock, which will hereinafter morefully appear, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figore 1 is a front view of one end of an oxyoke, parts beingbroken away, showing my improved key or bolt in position; Fig. 2, acrosssection on the line X X of Fig. 1, onan enlarged scale; Fig. 3, atop plan view of the key or bolt; Fig. 4, a side view of the bolt, andFigs. 5 and 6 end views of the bolt or key.

The bolt is composed of the body or stock A, of cast metal, having aslanting end, B, tapering to a point, and a fiat head composed oflateral wings O and C', arranged at right angles to the tapering end B.The thumb-piece and stop D, of a width cor'responding to the width ofthe Wings G and O',proj ects at right angles from the wings and has itsupper end defiected slight-ly to aiford a firm purchase for the thumb,and in the angular space between it and the Wing C' are placed thebrackets a, and ce', which strengthen and brace the thumbpiece and formboarings for thelock and bolt.

The lock bolt E is journaled in the body or stock lengthwise thereof,and its ends extend and are bent up in the same direction at about rightangles to its main or central portion. The end e is adapted to foldclose to the end B of the bolt When inserting the bolt in position andstands at right angles to B when inserted to prevent the withdrawal ofthe bolt except by proper n'lanipulation. The end e' is bent to form aloop, which is defiected at c'z to stand at an angle to the Wing O' topermit the loop to be grasped readily when Operating the lockbolt. Theinner end, 83, of the loop is in line with the point of fiection e'z ofthe end c' and receives one end of the coli-spring F, which is placed onthe lock-bolt and held between the brackets a and a', the other end ofthe spring rest-ing against the thumb-piece D.

The body of the bolt is grooved ox' channeled longitudinally to receivethe lock -bar, and this groove is closed at one end by the braclret aand at the other end by the cross-bar Z), which is extended and formsthe base of the tapering end B. By this construction, having the stock Agrooved, the bolt composed of the body A, end B, wings, thumb-piece, andbrackets a and a' can be made of a single casting, and all that isnecessary to finish it to receive the lock-bar is to bore the bracketsand cross-bar b. The lock-bar, which is a stout piece of Wire having theend c' bent to proper Shape prior to its being placed in the bolt, isnow inserted in the bolt and the end e bent, when the bolt is completed.

Of course it Will be understood that the spring F is placed between thebraekets and the lock-bar passed through it when slipping it to place inthe bolt.

To lighten the bolt and at the same time give ample room for the end eto fold close, that port-ion of the end B between the crossbar b and theextension b' is made very thinin fact, is a web or fin of sufficientthickness to brace the cross-bar b and the extension b', and at the sametime guide the bolt in its passage through the mortise in the neck-yokeor other device to which the bolt may be applied.

In practice the bolt is grasped by the thumbpiece and loop of thelock-bar with sufficient pressure to overcome the tension of spring F.This brings the end e of the lock-bar in the IOO plane of the end B ofthe bolt. Now the bolt can be withdrawn or inserted in the mortise inthe ox-bow. When inserted, the pressure is removed, and the lock-bar,being turned by the spring, holds the bolt in place.

Having thns described my invention,what I olaim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination, with the bolt having a head and end poi'tion ofgreater length than the diameter of the body of the bolt, of thelock-bar having the end corresponding with the end of the bolt bent atsnbstantially right angles and adapted to stand at an angle to the saidend of the bolt, substantially as and for the pnrpose described.

2. The combination, with the bolt having head and end portions extendingbeyond the sides of the body of the bolt, of the lock-bar journaled inthe bolt lengthwise and having its end portion bent at right angles andadapted to fold in the plane of the end portion of the bolt and stand atan angle to the said end portion, substantially as and for the pnrposedescribed.

3. The combination, with the bolt having a tapering end, as B, of alock-bar having an end, as e, adapted to fold close to the end and tostand at an angle thereto, substantially as and for the pnrposedescribed. i

4. The combination, with the bolt-stock, the cross-bar b, the extensionb', and the web filling the angle between the cross-bar and theextension, of the lock-bar journaled at one end in the cross-bar andhaving its end adapted to fold close to the Web, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

5. The combination, with the bolt having a flattened head and thethumb'piece extending at an angle to the head, of the lock-bar havingits end formed into a loop, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

6. The combination, with the bolt having a flattened head, thethumb-piece,and the brackets located in the angle between the head andthumb-piece, as shown, of the lock-bar having its end bent to form aloop and the spring, snbstantially as and for the pnrpose specified.

7. The combination, with the bolt having a fiattened head, thethumb-piece extending at right angles to the head and having its enddefiected, and the braekets located in the angle between the thnmb-pieceand head, of the lockbar having its lend bent to form a loop, the loopbeing defiected, as set forth, and the spring mounted on the lock-barand located between the brackets andhaving one end resting against thethumb-piece and the other end bearing on the loop, snbstantially as andfor the purpose described.

8. The herein shown and described ox-bow bolt, composed of the stocklongitndinally grooved, the tapering end, the fiattened head, thethurnb-piece standing at right angles to the head and having its enddefiected, the brackets, the lock-bar having its ends bent at rightangles, one end being bent to form a loop, which is defiected, as shown,and the spring placed on the lock-bar between the said brackets, one endof the spring bearing against the thunib-piece and the other end againstthe loop of the lock-bar, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VVALTER V ARE.

VVitnesses:

J. B. BARLOW, Jr., HENRY HoYE.

